Following four fast racing tasks in often rough and turbulent conditions at this year’s Nordic Open in Norway, Ronny Helgesen (NO) flew his R10.2 to victory in both the Open and the Norwegian Championship, ahead of Swede Lars Anders Jonsson, who became his country’s national champion.

Competitiors came to Vågå in Norway’s alpine region from the five Nordic countries and one or two further-afield places. Tasks tended to get underway late in the day thanks to a northerly wind, but with 24-hour daylight this wasn’t a problem as conditions remained flyable until after 9pm.

Task 4, which turned out to be the last one, saw windy conditions on launch and a sky full of lenticulars. The decision was taken to set a task, but with increasing winds later on several pilots experienced severe turbulence in a place that is usually safe, and chose to land. That evening, following protests, the task was retrospectively cancelled only to be reinstated by a pilot-elected committee in response to a petition the following day – Norwegian democracy in action!

Upcoming Events

From 4-10 December 2016 will be the 20th edition of the Canary Islands’ International Open Hang Gliding Championship. FAI cat. 2, pilots there will be Class 1, Class 5 and Sports Class categories. Airtribune.com

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The 11th consecutive Forbes Flatlands competition, organised by Moyes and the Sydney Hang Gliding Club, will take place from 30 December 2016 – 6 January 2017, with practice towing days on 28 and 29 December. The competition[...]

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